ANA GROUNDS 787S AFTER EMERGENCY LANDING
ANA, the launch customer for the Boeing 787, has grounded its fleet of 17 Dreamliners after an emergency landing and evacuation in Japan on Tuesday. Japan Airlines quickly followed suit with its seven aircraft. The ANA drama was prompted by a battery warning light and what one of the pilots thought was a funny smell. The aircraft left Yamaguchi Airport in western Japan for Haneda, near Tokyo, about 8 a.m. local time, but it was on the ground in Takamatsu 45 minutes later and the 129 passengers and eight crew were hitting the slides. One report said there was smoke in the cockpit and another said a pilot smelled something unusual; ANA was said to be checking whether there was actually any smoke. Nevertheless, the airline promptly grounded the fleet, adding to the considerable pressure already on Boeing to defend the safety of its flagship aircraft. More...

GARMIN ROLLS OUT NEW NAVCOMMS
With glass everything the rule rather than exception, the lowly navcomm hasn't seen much market push lately, but Garmin changed that this week with a series of new VHF navcomms. The GTR and GNC series will replace the aging but still popular SL 30 and SL 40 radios, which were developed more than a decade ago by the then UPSAT. Garmin bought that company and its product line in 2003. Although the SL series had digital and frequency storage and monitoring features that buyers liked, the GTR and GNC products offer features not seen thus far in navcomms. The GNC is the follow-on for the SL 30 navcomm while the GTR is a comm-only radio, addressing the same market space as the SL 40. More...

VIDEO: GARMIN'S NEW GNC255A NAVCOMM RADIO
There's still plenty of demand for traditional navcomm radios. The new Garmin GNC and GTR line of navcomm radios bring smart features and advanced interfacing. Larry Anglisano from Aviation Consumer magazine gives a product tour of the new radio on the test bench at EXXEL Avionics in Connecticut. More...

BIZJET BAN WORRIES THAI OPERATORS
Bizjets are back at the popular resort area of Phuket, Thailand, after a 16-day ban to accommodate airline traffic over the holiday period. But even though the ban has been lifted, operators in the area say private aircraft are the lowest priority for slots and the difficulty getting into the airport is driving well-heeled visitors elsewhere. "These private jet flyers have tight schedules, and if there is so much trouble getting the needed time slots at Phuket, they'll most likely go somewhere else," Jaiyavat Navaraj, a spokesman for the Hong Kong-based Asian Business Aviation Association, told the Bangkok Post. Access to the airport is determined by the slot coordinator, a committee with reps from the Thai Civil Aviation Authority, Airports of Bangkok -- and Thai Airways. More...

SALLIE MAE TO OFFER FLIGHT STUDENT LOANS
The Student Loan Marketing Corporation, commonly known as Sallie Mae, is getting back in the business of offering student loans for flight training. The Flight School Association of North America announced Tuesday it has been courting the massive lender for a couple of years and the company recently agreed to consider offering financing to flight students. "Flight schools interested in offering their customers Sallie Mae financing for flight training will be considered based on a variety of business criteria," the FSANA said in a news release. The news release also said that part of the pitch to Sallie Mae involved outlining the FSANA's accreditation standards for members. More...

FAA TO PILOTS: NO PERSONAL DEVICES
Pilots in Part 121 operations should not be using personal electronic devices or laptop computers in the cockpit at any time, the FAA said in a proposed new rule published on Tuesday. The rule, which complies with legislation passed last year, was prompted by an incident in 2009 when two pilots flew 150 miles past their destination while using their laptops. The rule allows for use of laptops and other devices only if the purpose is directly related to operation of the aircraft, or for emergency, safety-related or employment-related communications. The FAA is accepting comments on its proposal until March 18. More...

ENSTROM HELICOPTERS SOLD TO CHINESE FIRM
Enstrom Helicopters, a small but growing company based in Michigan, has been sold to Chongqing Helicopter Investment Co. "This is a major step in moving Enstrom to a new level," said company president Jerry Mullins. "This strong ownership will allow further growth of our business in Menominee, Michigan, to meet the demands of the increasing markets around the world, especially Asia." Enstrom has increased its workforce by 50 percent over the last 18 months, and plans to expand its facilities in Michigan to support higher production rates. More...

'GOLDEN AGE' OF AVIATION BEGINNING
A spokesman for a major aircraft leasing company says a new "golden age" of aviation is upon us and will persist for at least a decade. Dick Forsbergh, head of strategy for Avolon, an Irish leasing company, told a Manila newspaper that aviation is a fundamental component of economic expansion and developing economies all over the world will continue to snap them up. "We are actually entering a golden age of aviation, for which the past 20 years have been a mere warm up," Forsbergh said, adding that although aviation seems to gather a lot of negative press, it consistently outlasts the doomsayers. "Despite dire predictions the past decade taught the industry leaders not to be overly concerned about the sustainability of the airline industry," he said. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: GUEST BLOG -- FIXING FLIGHT TRAINING
In a guest post to the AVweb Insider blog, Ted Seastrom argues that student pilots expect more from their training than most are getting -- and that's what's keeping many students from getting their certificates. Read more and join the conversation. More...

MCGEOUGH JOINS NEXTANT

Sean McGeough

Sean McGeough is the new president of Nextant Aerospace. McGeough was previously head of Hawker Beechcraft's operations in most of the world outside North America.
More...

TURNER AT ODYSSEY

John Turner

Odyssey Aerospace Components has hired John Turner as director of engineering. He was most recently at Weber Aircraft.
More...

FUNK AT PIPER

James Funk

James Funk has joined Piper Aircraft as VP of operations. He came from Bombardier, where he was general manager of operations for the Lear 85 program.
More...

WHO'S WHERE? YOU TELL US
Get a promotion or a new job? Your colleagues want to know about it, and AVwebBiz can get the word out. Drop us a line about the staff appointment, with a nice recent photo, and we'll do our best to include it in our new section, "Who's Where." The items will be permanently archived on AVweb for future reference, too. More...

AVWEB'S NEWSTIPS ADDRESS ...
Our best stories start with you. If you've heard something 255,000 pilots might want to know about, tell us. Submit news tips via email to newstips@avweb.com. What have you heard? More...

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